Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-05-26

VI lhht guy showed US 10 te que north
Juan Fernando 1870 miles Our ship ",
the Homeward, of New Bedford, Cap
Samuel Clayton master and we had bee
out fourteen months and were in goo
luck. The whale sighted on this after
noon was the first spout seen for tire
days. lie broke water within half a mil
OF the ship, remained on the surface 70
three or four minutes and then wen
down again amidst great smother o
1 FOAM As he went down he 'iobtailed'
/ for moment, and by this sign we knew
/ that other whales were in the vicinity
I "Lobtalliug' Is when the big fish slap,
the water right and left with hi,
hukes or Gail, and whalers have Away.
commended that it is signal to other
whales TO look out for danger. The echo
of his blows came down to us from wind
ward very distinctly as we Piled into the
boats and lowered away. There were
three boats of US and mine not only got
away first but continued to lead al
though could hear the captain who was
a few yards behind me, calling to his
men:
"lf you love me, pull Break them
oars! Twist the bottom out, Pull your
selves oyerboardw
When we had pulled mile TO wind
ward of the ship we rested on our oars
to wait fer the whale to come up agaiH,
and the boats spread out over consider
able water to watch Whales always feed
or run TO windward. Ii is but rare that
one will run away from the wind in any
emergency. We had gone half mile he
yond his sounding, and might look for
him to come up anywhere IN our neigh
borhood. He did come, after time,
leaping two thirds of his length out OF
water, and there was cry of astonish-
ment from every boat | was in the
whaling business for nineteen years, ard
I'm telling you that was tAe biggest one
| ever set eyes on. He was full hun
dred feet long and covered with barnacles
and slime; ana 1t was plain enough that
we had discovered an old resident of the
deep. He had hardly fallen back into
the water when the three boats started
for him. There would have been har-
poon into him if he had taken time to
dive or sound, but he played us a trick
In some way which naturalists have never
been able to account for whale can sink
himself like ton of ballast. This fellow
just went right out of sight in five seconds
leaving scarce a ripple on the surface to
prove that he had been in view. Some
of the boats ran over the spot before
their Roadway was checked.
Well, il was spread out and wait again
but in ten minutes he came up between
us and the ship equidistant. His head
was hardly out of water when we saw that
he was in a rage. He began rolling and
thrashing and slapping the water, and
the boats had scarcely started for
him when se started for the
ship There was groan of dis
| pair from every boat, for we knew by the
way he held his head and the slap of his
/ ilukes that he meant mischief. We pulled
for our lives, hoping to oyertake him
/ but the nearest boat was quarter of {
mile behind him when he struck tn,
Homevard at full tilt. We saw her hee
over as if she would go on her beam end
and plenty heard the frightened cries OF
the men aboard. The whale backed Of
after the blow, seeming bent on striking
another, but changed his mind after
moment and sunk out of sight so be seer
no more.
The ship had received a blow whicl
started the butts of dozen planks, ant
she was AIling with water as we reache
her. We had less thai twenty minute
in which to provision the boats befor
she sank ont of sight and we were ;Ion
on the ocean. She went down so easily
and the sea was so calm, that scarcely
relic of her came to the surface. Moth
ing like a sail was in sight and under th
~ rtnitig slara hnra ibI
island | have mensioned. We shoult
doubtless have made II safely enough
the weather being fine, but just at dark W
were picked up by an English bark ant
carried into Valparaiso.